Understanding surge capacity needs and EMT response following disasters is pivotal to improve the capacities to provide appropriate healthcare to populations affected. Although some research has analyzed individual EMT deployments in response to disasters, a comprehensive review of deployments since the 2010 Haiti earthquake has not been undertaken yet.

This review aims to gather information on the deployment of EMTs used as surge capacity in the aftermath of various disasters since 2010, including information on the disasters that required mobilization of such capacities.

A scoping review methodology was followed. We conducted an electronic search during July until October 2023 to gather data on deployments from 2010-2023 using PubMed, Google Scholar, and other key websites.

We found around 80 disasters that triggered EMT response, involving more than 450 deployments. Epidemics were the most frequent disaster type triggering response and earthquakes were the disaster type causing the largest EMT mobilization to a single event. Meteorological disasters also triggered a significant number of deployments. Very few reports documented responses to conflicts. Most disasters triggering deployments were registered in the African and Western Pacific regions and few deployments were registered in the European region. The geographical distribution of EMT responses highlights imbalance between needs and capacities and underlines the need to invest in EMT development in certain regions.

Current available data on EMT deployments is insufficient and of low quality. Reporting and data sharing should be encouraged to enhance accountability and allow needs-based improvements within the EMT initiative.